The last sentence in the ‘Plain Language summary’ says “Cranberry products (such as tablets or capsules) were also ineffective (although had the same effect as taking antibiotics), possibly due to lack of potency of the ‘active ingredient’.” …What?
How could they have the same effect as antibiotics and be ineffective at the same time? Is this suggesting antibiotics are ineffective against UTIs? Aren’t antibiotics used to treat UTIs to begin with?
If someone could explain any or all of that to me, I would appreciate it greatly. My girlfriend just got a UTI and is very scared. I found this article, but it seems to contradict itself in a few places, to me. I’m not a scientist, so I recognize that I might just not be able to comprehend it, and would love some clarification!
If you got this far, I’m also wondering how these studies could be considered accurate if a lot of the subjects stopped taking the cranberry products?
TL; DR is the first two sections at the top👆
You’re a lovely partner. Anecdotally, we have someone very prone to them in our family who swears by cranberry juice.
Anecdotally my doctor tells me the concentrations of cranberry juice and supplements are far too little to help significantly and it’s basically a myth that it helps.
That said, I’m pragmatic and think you should try things and see what consistently works (while being careful in observation and testing variables - best to make it objective, to eliminate bias, etc.).
This is great advice! I appreciate it
I appreciate the sentiment and anecdotal evidence